Canada-Vanuatu relations
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Bilateral relations
Diplomatic relations were established on July 30, 1980. Like Canada, Vanuatu is a member of the Commonwealth and La Francophonie. Vanuatu has three official languages, which are Bislama, English and French.
Bilateral relations are cordial. Canada and Vanuatu share interests with respect to fisheries and are both parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Canada is also a Dialogue Partner of the Pacific Islands Forum to which Vanuatu belongs.
In Vanuatu, Canada is represented by the High Commission of Canada to Australia, in Canberra. Vanuatu does not have an official representative accredited to Canada. About 30 people who live in Canada are born in Vanuatu according to the 2021 Canadian census.
Trade relations
Canada's trade relations with Vanuatu are managed by the Trade Commissioner Service at the High Commission of Canada to Australia, in Canberra. Canada has limited trade relations with Vanuatu. In 2023, total bilateral merchandise trade between Canada and Vanuatu was $1,135,212. Canadian merchandise exports amounted to $929,142, comprising mainly machinery and pumps for liquids. Imports amounted to $206,070 and were mostly for squid.
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Development
Canada supports small and community-focused projects in Vanuatu through the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI). Canada has contributed over $867,000 in direct funding assistance to 17 projects planned and implemented by Vanuatu organizations through the CFLI since 2017. In 2023-2024, Canada supported three projects in Vanuatu on women’s economic empowerment; community health; and improving disaster resiliency through traditional cyclone-resistant architecture.
Vanuatu has also been a beneficiary of the following projects in the Pacific Islands region:
The Kiwa Initiative (2020 to 2026) is a multi-donor Pan-Pacific regional initiative funded by Canada, France, the European Union, Australia and New Zealand. Since March 2020, Canada has contributed a total of $16 million to the Kiwa initiative through a Contribution Arrangement with the Agence française de développement (AFD). The Kiwa initiative strengthens capacities of local and national authorities and civil society organizations to design and implement small to large-scale biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation projects at local, national and regional levels through granting/funding facilities.
The Strengthening Small-Scale Fisheries in the Pacific Islands (2020 to 2023) was a project implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and to which Canada contributed $2 million. It aimed to increase the resilience and adaptability of fishermen and fisherwomen to the climate changes affecting their livelihoods and food security, in the vulnerable coastal communities.
Through UN Women (2018 to 2023), Canada provided $3.85 million to implement the Pacific Islands Markets for Change Project which supports female merchants in rural and urban markets by ensuring that markets provide safe, inclusive and non-discriminatory environments.
Between 2015 and 2025, Canada contributes $20 million to the Asia Pacific Project Preparation Facility (AP3F) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). AP3F is a multi-donor trust fund that provides additional financial resources and technical support for the preparation of infrastructure projects in developing member countries in order to increase infrastructure development and enhance the quality of infrastructure in Asia and the Pacific.
The Climate Finance Access Network (CFAN) (2021 to 2023) is a project that was implemented by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and to which Canada contributed $9.5 million. It benefited Pacific Small Island Developing States and others in securing and structuring finance for priority climate projects by cultivating a network of highly trained, embedded climate finance advisors.
The Pacific Catastrophe Risk Assessment and Financing Initiative (PCRAFI) (2018 to 2023) is a recently terminated project implemented by the World Bank, to which Canada contributed $1.5 million. The PCRAFI sought to provide the Pacific Island countries with disaster risk assessment and financing tools, including sovereign insurance, for enhanced disaster risk management and climate change adaptation.
The Canadian Trade and Investment Facility for Development (CTIF) is a demand-driven $11.6 million technical assistance facility designed to support poverty reduction and women’s empowerment in the Indo-Pacific region, including Pacific Island Countries. CTIF has supported seven technical assistance projects in the PICs valued at approximately $1.1 million. As of May 2023, CTIF had provided seven technical assistance mandates with a total value of $1.15M to Pacific Island countries. One project has been completed in Vanuatu thus far: Comprehensive Assessment of the Implications of Implementing the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement on Six Pacific Island Countries WTO Members (2023, $67,000).
The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission’s (WCPFC) Special Requirements Fund has received contributions of $68,000 to $100,000 from Canada in recent years. It aims to support capacity-building among the members of the Commission such as Vanuatu.
Partnerships and organizations
To develop effective responses to today’s most pressing global challenges, Canada and Vanuatu work closely in multilateral fora, such as:
- Commonwealth
- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
- International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
- International Criminal Court (ICC)
- La Francophonie
- United Nations (UN)
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
- Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC)
- World Health Organization (WHO)
- World Trade Organization (WTO)
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